Pneumatic thread control for looms



1940- R. G. TURNER 2,226,269

PNEUMATIC THREAD CONTROL FOR 'LOOMS Filed April 8, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIli. 1

INVENTOR RICHARD G TURNER QQMJT'M.

AT TORNEY Dec. 24, 1940- G TURNER 2,226,269

PNEUMATIC THREAD CONTROL FOR LOOMS Filed April 8, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 lNvENToR RICHARD G.TuR-1-:R

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AT Ton-Nay Patented Dec. 24, 1940 UNITED. ,STATES 2,226,269 frNEUMa'rIc' rnREAn oo TRoLron LooM s Richard G. Turner, Worcester, Mass, assignor to Crompton & Knowles Loom works worcester, Mass, a corporation of Massachusetts Application April 8, 1940, Serial No. 328,481

8Claims. (Cl.139256) H This invention relates to improvements in pneumatic thread control mechanism for looms and it is the general objectof the invention to provide means for disconnecting the air pump from its driver when the loom stops.

In my co-pending application Serial No. 199,169 I have shown a pneumatic system for controlling the threads of the outgoing and incoming bobbins at the time of transfer in a weft replenishing loom. That mechanism includes a pneumatic thread holder to receivethe weft ends of the reserve bobbins as they await transfer and also a pneumatic thread extractor located between the magazine and the cloth to remove the thread of the exhausted bobbin; a lay driven pump is provided in this prior application to create sub-atmospheric pressures for the pneumatic devices and this pumpis driven by a connection permanently attached to the lay.

When the loom is stopped because of weft or warp breakage or for any other reason it is frequently necessary for the weaver to' move the loomby hand to a position favorable for correcting the break and for subsequent picking. When the pump is permanently connected to the lay it must be operated by manual power when the loom is turned overand this imposes an additional burden on the weaver. It is an important object of my present invention to provide the pump with a detachable drive which can be disconnected whenever the loom stops so that the loom may be turnedover by hand without operating the pump.

With theseand otherv objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, my invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and set forth.

In the accompanying drawings, wherein a convenient embodiment of my invention is set forth, Fig. 1 is an end elevation of a weft replenishing loom having my invention applied thereto, I

Fig. 2 is a vertical section on line 2-2 of Fig. 1 looking forwardly from a position behind the loom, Fig. 3 is a view similar tothe right hand pa of Fig. 1 showing the parts in disconnected position, and Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic operating view'similar to a portion of Fig. 1. e Referring more particularly to Fig. 1, I have shown a loom frame Ill having a lay L and a magazine M to provide in the present instance two distinctive types of reverse weft which are stored in front and back compartments H and [2, respectively. The magazine includes in its construction a transferrer' arm l3 having a latch l4 to be raised by mechanism not shown into position for engagement with a hunter l5 0n the lay when a transferring operationof the loom isto occur. A top or crankshaft of the loom I6 is attached 'by a pair of connectors one of which is" shown at 'I'l to the lay to reciprocate the latter about its axis l8.

Mounted on the loom frame is an air pump 20 held toa bracket 2| suitably secured to the 10 loom frame. Leading forwardly from this pump is a tube 22 which entersthe top of a fixed hollow thread accumulator 23. The latter communicates with apneumatic thread holder 24 and also by W means'of tube '25 is connected to a thread ex- 15 tractor 26. When the pump is operated by rearward movement of its; piston 30, or to the right as viewed in Fig. 1, by the piston rod 3 I, a partial vacuum is created within the accumulator 23 to induce inrushin'g columns of air into the intake 20 mouths of the thread holder 24 and the extractor 26.

"The starting and stopping mechanism of the loomis controlled by the usual shipper and brake mechanism, the shipper handle 35 being mounted 25 on' the shipper rod 36 and having an adjustable screw 31 for engagement with the brake handle 38 also mounted on the shipper handle. An upright lever 39 pivoted to the loomside at its lower end'as at 40 is connected at 4| to a link 42 which 30v is pivoted as at 43 to the shipper handle. EX- tendingrearwardl'y from the lever 39 is a rod 44 which controls the starting and stopping mechanism of the loom. My present invention is not limited to'any particular type of starting and 35 stopping mechanism and in the past various connections have been used between the shipper and brake handles. The shipping mechanism shown herein is for illustrative purposes only and. it will be understood from the description 40 to follow that my invention requires merely a part which has a motion when the loom is to bev stopped, whether. it be the shipper handle or the brake-handle or some other part of the structure shown or controlled thereby.

The matter thus far described may be of the usual construction and of itself forms no part of my present invention. The pump and the parts with which it is pneumatically connected, except 50 for the drive, may be set forth in my co-pending application Serial No. 199,169 to which reference may be had for a further description of the structure and operation of the thread removing parts of the loom, and. mechanism for setting 55 the latch l4 not shown herein may be set forth in my prior Patent No. 2,162,290.

In carrying my present invention into effect I provide a detachable connection between the lay and the piston rod 3|. Projecting rearwardly from the loom is a bracket 50 on which is pivoted a disconnecting lever 5| mounted on a stud 52 supported by the bracket 56. The lower end of lever 5| is connected by means of a forwardly extending rod 53 to the pivot 4| between the upright lever 39 and the link 42. The upper end 55 of lever 5| is adapted for engagement with a slotted head 56 longitudinally adjustable on the rear end of rod 5! which projects forwardly to have pivotal connection as at 58 with the lay.

The head 56 is provided with a relatively long horizontal slot 60 the left end of which terminates in an ascending notch 6|. Located within the slot 60 is a roller 62 rotatably mounted on a pump operating lever 63 pivoted as at 64 to a fixed part of the loom. The bottom of lever 63 is attached to a relatively heavy tension spring 65 as at 66 while the forward end of the spring is held as at 61 to some fixed part of the loom. The bracket 50 has stop block 68 adjustable back and forth thereon by means of a slot 69 in the bracket and a bolt III which holds the stop in fixed position. Projecting rearwardly from the loom frame is a guide 15 having a slot 16 to guide the lever 63 and in which the latter reciprocates toward and from the front of the loom. The upper end of lever 63 is pivotally connected as at T1 to a head 18 on the piston rod 3|.

In operation, the handles 35 and 38 will be T pulled forwardly or to the left as viewed in Fig. 1

to cause loom running and when in this position the pivotal connection 54 and rod 53 will be moved to extreme forward position. The holding lever 5| will be held with its lifting end 55 in the down position shown in full lines in Fig. 1 and dotted lines in Figs. 3 and 4. The head 56 is therefore free to assume low position by gravity and during reciprocation of the lay the roller 62 will be in the notch 6|, thereby rocking the lever 63 in unison with the lay to reciprocate the piston 30 and produce periodic sub-atmospheric pneumatic impulses in the thread accumulator and the intake mouths of the thread holder and extractor. The dotted lines in Fig. 1 indicate the sweep of the lay, rod head 56 and lever 63 during normal loom operation.

Should the loom stop for any reason, as by operation of the various stop motions not shown with which modern power looms are equipped, the shipper handle moves to the rear or dotted line position in Fig. 1. During movement of the ship per handle to stopping position the rod 53 is moved rearwardly, thereby rocking the lever 5| in a counter clockwise direction as viewed in Fig. 1 around its pivot 52 from the dotted to the full line position Fig. 3 to lift the upper end 55 of the lever 5| into engagement with the head 56. The horizontal offset between the pivot 52 and the lever end 55 is suficient so that during this rocking of lever 5| the head 56 is raised sufficiently to unseat the roll 62 from the notch 6| and align said roll with the horizontal slot 66. As soon as the lever 63 is disconnected from the head 56 it moves rearwardly under the action of spring 65, being limited in its rearward motion by the stop block 68. Thereafter the loom may be turned over by hand, the rod head 56 reciprocating with the lay without causing motion of the lever 63 or the pump, as indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 4.

When the loom is to be restarted the shipper handle is pulled forwardly and there is a corresponding down motion of the lever end 55 from the full to the dotted line position shown in Figs. 3 and 4, and the head 56, being no longer supported by lever 5|, tends by gravity to fall downwardly with respect to the roll 62. The spring 65 holds the lever in rear position and when the lay next reaches back center, or its extreme position to the right as viewed in Fig. 1, the notch 6| will arrive over the roll 62 and the head 56 will drop to reestablish driving connections between the lever 63 and the rod 51. Because of the crank drive for the lay the latter is temporarily at rest on its back center position, a favorable time for reestablishment of the driving connections for the pump, and it is for this reason that the adjustable block 68 is employed so that the roller 62 may be located under the notch 6| when the lay reaches back center position following resumption of weaving.

From the foregoing it will be seen that I have provided simple means for disconnecting the pump from its driving connection whenever the loom stops, thereby relieving the weaver of the necessity of moving the pump piston when the loom is turned over by hand. It will also be seen that the adjustable block 68 places the roll 62 so it can enter notch 6| when the lay is on back center to reestablish driving connections for the pump when the lay is momentarily at rest. As previously stated, the loom shipping mechanism set forth herein is for illustration only, and it is sufficient for the purposes of my present invention if the lever 5| or its equivalent be operated by some part of the loom which has a motion when the loom stops.

Having thus described my invention it will be seen that changes and modifications may be made therein by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention and. I do not wish to be limited to the details herein disclosed, but what I claim is:

1. In a loom having an air pump and reciprocating piston therefor to operate pneumatic thread removing devices, the loom having a reciprocating lay and loom controlling mechanism movable from running to stopping position to stop the loom, that improvement comprising a lever connected to the piston, means constituting a driving connection between the lever and the lat effective during loom operation to cause the lever and piston to reciprocate with the lay, and means operated by the loom controlling mechansm when the latter moves to stopping position to disconnect the lever from the lay.

2. In a loom having an air pump andreciprocating piston therefor to operate pneumatic thread removing devices, the loom having a reciprocating lay, that improvement comprising a lever connected to the piston and having a part to be driven, a member connected permanently to and reciprocating with the lay and having a substantially horizontal slot having a notch in one end thereof in which said part of the lever is normally engaged during loom operation to cause reciprocation of the lever and the piston with the lay, and means to cause relative movement of the member and said part to disengage the latter from said notch and move the same in alignment with the slot, whereby the lay can be moved independently of the lever and the piston.

3. In a loom having an air pump provided with a reciprocating piston and connected to ment comprising a lever connected to the piston and mounted for movement in the direction of movement of the lay, means including a part on the lever and a second part connected permanently to and reciprocating with the lay between front and back center positions, said parts having mutual engaging relation with respect to each other during loom operation to reciprocate the lever and piston, means to disengage said parts when the loom stops to permit the lay to be moved independently of the lever and piston, and means to move said lever during disengagement of said parts to a position corresponding to one of said center positions, resumption of loom operation after stoppage moving said parts in position for mutual engagement when the lay is on one of said center positions.

4. In a loom having an air pump provided with a reciprocating piston and connected to pneumatic thread removing devices on the loom, said loom having a lay reciprocating between front and back center positions, that improvement comprising a lever connected to the piston, two

parts normally tending to maintain driving engagement with each other, one of said parts on the lever and the other of said, parts moving with the lay and reaching positions corresponding to said center positions of the lay during m operation to operate the piston, means to disengage said parts when the loom stops to permit movement of the lay independently of the lever and piston,'and means to position the lever so that the part carried thereby will be in position to reestablish normal driving connection with the other of said parts when the lay reaches one of said center positions.

5. In a weft replenishing loom having a thread to be removed pneumatically on a weft replenishing beat of the loom, a reciprocating lay, loom operation controlling mechanism including a lever to be moved from running to stopping position when the loom is stopped, an air pump including a reciprocating piston, detachable connections between the lay and the piston normally attached during loom operation to reciprocate the piston by a force derived from the lay, and means connected to the lever to detach said connections when said lever moves from running to stopping position to permit movement of the lay independently of the piston, the pump assisting in the removal of the thread.

6. In a weft replenishing loom having a thread to be removed pneumatically on a weft replenishing operation of the loom, an air pump to assist in the pneumatic removal of the thread, a reciprocating piston for the pump, a reciprocating lay, loom operation controlling mechanism including a lever in running position when the loom is in operation and in stopping position when the loom is idle, a connection between the lay and the piston including two parts normally connected during-loom operation when the lever is in running position, and means connected to the lever and operated by the latter when the same moves from running to stopping position to disconnect said parts, whereby the lay can be moved independently of the piston.

'7. In a loom having means for removing threads pneumatically including an air pump to provide air at sub-atmospheric pressure, disconnectible connections between the pump and the loom normally connected to establish driving connections between the pump and the loom, loom controlling mechanism movable from running to stopping position to stop the loom, and means operated by the controlling mechanism when the latter moves to stopping position to move the disconnectible connections to disconnect the pump from the loom.

8. In a loom having means for removing threads pneumatically including an air-pump to provide air at sub-atmospheric pressure, driving connections between the loom and the pump normally connected to operate the pump while the loom is vrunning and movable to abnormal position to disconnect the pump from the loom,

loom controlling mechanism movable from running to stopping position to stop the loom, and means operated by the loom controlling mechanism when the latter moves to stopping position to move the connections to abnormal position to disconnect the pump from the loom.

RICHARD G. TURNER. 

